She Was Smart He Was Stupid
by DisTofuIshKawaii
Summary: Ash spent his life as a rancher since that was the only he was good at. He didn't know how to read and had always been bad at math. In summary, the rancher was not very bright. When he met a smart girl named Lillian, she taught him math and how to read and write. Ash found himself falling in love with her each day. Was his love for Lillian the biggest mistake he had ever made?
1. Chapter 1

_**Author's Notes:** Hello! I wanted to write a story with shocking drama/tragedy/romance (but i think at the same time very cliche...) so I came up with this. My friend said this story is just like every other story I wrote because it sort of has the same concept...? Maybe later on in the story you will notice it... Well, but I want to know what you think! And oh hey! I finally did an Ash x Lillian story! Yay! Please tell me if there is anything you don't understand! Thank you for reading!_

* * *

Another day of watching the farm animals, Ash sighed as he petted a small calf that was resting its head on his lap.

"Don't you just wish there is more excitement in your life, Bubble?" he asked.

Bubble licked his mouth.

"Me too."

From the door that led to his house was the sound of his mother calling out his name.

"Ash! Can you bring me a calf? We have a customer."

"Okay!"

Bubble got up and ran into the barn.

"Bubble! I'm not going to sell you! Come back!" Ash shouted.

The little calf stuck his head out and returned to the rancher. He followed Ash to the counter where there was a young lady waiting in the corner.

"Hello," she greeted with a pretty smile.

"H-H… Hi…" the boy stuttered with his cheeks flushed red.

She was the prettiest girl he had ever seen. An orange bandana wrapped around her hair and neatly tied them together. She wore the same color dress and a red vest that looked extremely good on her. He could hear the clicks of her boots as she ran to her new calf.

"Hello, little cutie, nice to meet you!" She said.

Even her voice sounded enchanting like a melody an angel had created. She looked up at Ash and apologized for not introducing herself.

"My name is Lillian. I am a newcomer!"

"Oh! Welcome to Bluebell!" Jessica said. "In that case, I'll give you a discount! Just 800 G for the calf and the feeds."

"But-"

"Ah! No buts. All for 800 G."

Lillian giggled and said, "Thank you very much!"

"D-do yo-you want me to help you bring the calf home?" Ash asked.

"Yes, please, if you don't mind. Thank you."

Bubble followed the couple but the rancher stopped him.

"No, Bubble, you stay here," Ash ordered.

Lillian smiled at Bubble and bent down to pet him.

"Hi there, do you want to come with us?"

The calf licked his mouth.

"You're so cute! I might steal you away from your owner!" the newcomer said jokingly.

Bubble ran to the young man and hid behind him.

Ash sighed and said, "Okay, you can come. Let's go."

* * *

"The calves seem to be very fond of you," Lillian said.

Ash looked at the two animals tagging along side them.

"Yeah, especially that little Bubble."

"I think it's cute." She giggled.

His heart beat so loud inside his chest that he was afraid she might hear it. Wait. Did she call him cute or did she call Bubble cute? Which one was it? Maybe both? Well, he would be satisfied if she called him and Bubble cute because it meant he was cute too! He was too busy thinking about what she said to him that he didn't realize they had reached her house.

"Thank you for helping me. I'll see you around!" Lillian said, waving her hand. Then she motioned her new calf to follow her to the barn.

"See you around…" Ash said.

On a Wednesday morning, when the rancher was heading to Cam's flower stand, he spotted Lillian sitting in front of Howard's Café reading a thick book. She looked so focus on the book that he didn't want to interrupt her. A moment later, she caught a glance of Ash and motioned him over.

"Good morning," he said.

"Good morning," she replied.

The rancher stared at the words that were written on the cover of the book. He couldn't read them, sadly. Not many villagers know how to read in Bluebell or Konoha except for words that are crop-, food-, and animal- related. For Ash, he could only read a few since he spent most of his life taking care of his animals. That was the only talent he had anyways.

"Have you ever read this book?"

The young man shook his head as his cheeks flushed with embarrassment.

"I can't read." He scratched his head. "Even Cheryl knows more than me."

Lillian smiled and closed her book. Her finger traced along the title and she pronounced each word for him.

"The Sto-ry Of Two Lo-vers," she read.

"The Story of Two Lovers," he repeated.

A smile on her lips and two dimples on her cheeks.

"That's okay. I'll teach you how to read!"

"Are you okay with that…? Isn't that too much trouble for you?" Ash asked.

"I don't mind! After all, I have always wanted to become a teacher. This would be a good experience don't you think?"

"Okay, if you say so."

"Great! I'll come by around the afternoon starting tomorrow, is that okay?" Lillian asked.

Oh heck yes! Ash wouldn't mind seeing her tomorrow or that day after that or every day after that.

"Of course! Come anytime you like."

"Okay then. I'll see you around, Ash."

With that, Lillian waved at him and headed back to her home.


	2. Chapter 2

For several weeks, Lillian had come by the ranch to teach Ash how to read and write and Cheryl would join them. However, the little sister made more progress than her older brother. She had memorized the alphabet and their pronunciations. On the other side, Ash would forget how they sounded or even forget how some letters were written. He envied his little sister at some point because she was a fast learner. There were times when he thought himself as a disappointment to his mother since he could never do anything right. Having Lillian to teach him things that she had learned but he couldn't understand them only made him felt worse. Those negative feelings disappeared whenever she smiled. Her words of encouragement meant she would not give up on him. It made Ash fell deeper in love with her.

* * *

The rancher stared at the white cotton floating under the vast blue sky. His mother said whenever the sky was cloudy, there would be rain in a few days. There weren't that many clouds covering the sky today. Maybe it would take a longer time to rain?

"I wish it was raining today. It's so hot in the summer!" he said.

Bubble flipped his tail side to side in agreement.

"How do you spell rain anyways? Was it H and… ah! I don't know!"

He let out a big sigh of disappointment. What a failure he was! He couldn't even spell 'rain' right! He bet his little sister could write it out with no problem. If only he was smart as she was.

"And how do you spell 'love', I wonder…? "

"L-O-V-E, love," a voice said.

Ash turned to the source of the sound to find Lillian leaning against the fence, smiling at him. She looked more cheerful today than any other day.

"Good morning Ash and Bubble. How are you two today?" she asked.

"G-good morning, we're doing great," he replied. "You seem happier today."

"Yes I am! My fiancé is coming today! I'm excited to see him!"

"F-fiance…?"

"Yup! I just can't wait to introduce him to you! I'm sure you guys will become great friend!" the young lady chirped.

"I think we will," Ash said.

"I wanted you to be the first person to know that we are going get married here on Summer 20th! That's ten days away from today!"

Her eyes lit up when she talked about her marriage. She smiled in the way that made Ash felt like he had been locked in her spell. He wished he could make Lillian smiled the way she did now. His heart hurt though. Her cheerful words were like silent knives digging through his fragile heart. But if she could always smile like that, he wouldn't mind even if it killed him.

"I want you to be there, Ash. Even if no one comes, you have to be there," she said.

"Of course I will. I won't miss such a special day for you."

"Thank you… I have to go prepare food before he comes. I'll see you around!"

Lillian waved and slowly disappeared in the distance. He lay back to the grass with Bubble by his side. His hand grasped his left chest.

"It hurts over here. Do you know what it is, Bubble?"

The calf licked his owner's face.

"I shouldn't be like this. I sheould be happy for her. I'm happy for her."

* * *

Ash did meet her fiancé. He was tall, handsome, strong, and smart. His hair was combed smoothly to the back and he wore an expensive black suit. His hazel eyes got all the girls in Bluebell drooling when they met him. When he was with Lillian, they seemed like a perfect match. The man's name was Nick as the rancher had recalled. The distance between Nick and Ash was earth and heaven; it was too great. When Ash asked for more excitement in his life, this wasn't it. He didn't want to feel this pain. It hurt more than being physically stabbed in the stomach. He only wished this feeling would disappear soon and he would eventually move on. Maybe he should wait just a little longer. For now, he hoped that Lillian smiled happily with Nick by her side.

* * *

The sky was crying today, just as expected. The cold from the rain felt nicer than the heat from the summer. Ash took a stroll toward the mountain to find Lillian sitting on the ground with her eyes swollen red.

"Lillian!" he shouted. "Are you okay?"

"He… Nick… He… left me," she cried. "I-I wasn't good enough… our five years together… weren't good enough…"

She hugged her stomach and accidentally vomited on Ash's pants.

"Lillian! What's wrong?!"

"I…" Before finishing her sentence, she fainted.

The young lady was shivering and her face was pale. Ash could feel her cold skin when he hugged her. He unbuttoned his shirt and covered her body in hope that it could give her a little warmth.

"H-hang on there. I'll get you to Ayame!"

With Lillian in both of his arms, he ran as fast as he could to Konoha and to the clinic.

"Ash! Wh-"

"Miss Ayame! Please help her get better!"

"Hiro! Bring her to the bed and get Ash some clothes to put on," the doctor ordered.

Hiro took a quick glance at the rancher from Bluebell. He was soaked from top to bottom and he didn't even have a shirt on. He was shivering but the only thing he cared about was the girl he brought with him.

A moment later, Ayame came out with a small smile.

"What's wrong with her, miss Ayame?" Ash asked anxiously.

"It's nothing very serious but she's pregnant."

"Pregnant…?" he tilted his head.

"Do you know how a girl becomes pregnant? Do you know the process through it?" Hiro asked teasingly.

The rancher shook his head. Was being pregnant was something that made her felt sick?

"Lemme tell you how, okay?" the doctor's assistant said as he leaned closer to Ash's ear. "It's through the power of love."

Ayame laughed and said, "She is pregnant which means there will be a child growing inside of her belly. That's how you were born too, Ash!"

"See? It's through the power of love!"

"Hiro, stop teasing Ash and go prepare a bed for him to sleep. The rain won't stop until tomorrow morning."

"Aye, Captain!" the assistant said.


End file.
